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Derestricted
FTAA.soc/25/Rev.1/Add.7
November 21, 2003

Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat

ANNEX G

 ANDEAN REGIONAL SEMINAR
WORKSHOP-SEMINAR ON THE FTAA NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE ACTORS AND AGENTS OF
CIVIL SOCIETY OF THE ANDEAN COMMUNITY MEMBER COUNTRIES

Lima, Peru, 11 December 2002


At the Miami Summit in 1994, the Heads of State of the Americas horizontally incorporated the principle of transparency into the integration and political, economic and social cooperation processes in the Americas and reaffirmed their commitment to the same at the Santiago Summit (1998) and the Quebec Summit (2001), with a view to promoting, among other elements, the development or strengthening of democratic values and institutions, the protection of human rights, governability, social inclusion and cohesion, sustainable development, and the participation of informed citizens in decision-making in our societies.

In fulfillment of the Presidents' mandate, the Ministers Responsible for Trade, at their meeting in San José (1998), established the Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society in the negotiations for the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), so as to promote transparency in the negotiations and generate broad support and public understanding of the process.

At their meetings in Toronto (1999), Buenos Aires (2001), and Quito (2002), the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of transparency and urged the aforementioned Committee to strengthen the existing mechanisms for dialogue and consultation, while thanking civil society for its valuable contributions to the FTAA process. In response, the Committee undertook to hold regional workshop-seminars as one of its priority actions.

Recognizing the need to encourage the participation of the civil society of the Andean Community member countries and to stimulate their capacity for analysis, association, and organization, the competent national authorities of the member countries agreed to hold, in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Andean Community and under the auspices of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a workshop-seminar aimed at furthering knowledge about the negotiation process.

On 10 and 11 December 2002, the workshop-seminar on the FTAA negotiations was held in the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community for various actors and agents of civil society from the Andean Community member countries.

The workshop-seminar was held in two stages and was attended by over 50 representatives of the governments and the various sectors of civil society of the member countries. The first stage consisted of four panels set up to analyze matters related to the “Status and the Prospects of the FTAA Negotiations”. In the second stage, five specialized working tables were set up to debate the following subjects: market access, agriculture, services, intellectual property rights; and the environment and labor rights. The program of the event is attached hereto.

The conclusions of the debates are posted on the official websites of the Andean Community and of the competent authorities of the member countries.


THE ANDEAN COMMUNITY IN THE NEGOTIATIONS
OF THE FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS (FTAA)
REGIONAL SEMINAR

Lima, Peru, 10 and 11 December 2002

Program

Tuesday, 10 December

9:00 - 9:45 h. Inaugural Session
Speeches by:
Dr. Guillermo Fernández de Soto
Secretary General of the Andean Community
Ambassador Roberto Betancourt Ruales
Under Secretary for Multilateral Relations of Ecuador
Former Chair of the FTAA Trade Negotiations Committee
Dr. Alfredo Ferrero Díez Canseco
Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru

Dr. Vladimir Radovic
Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank in Peru
 
9:45 - 10:00 h. Break

Status and Prospects of the FTAA Negotiations

10:00 - 10:30 h. The Process and the Structure of the Negotiations: Ministerial Meetings, the Trade Negotiations Committee, and the Negotiating Groups.
  • Mandates from the Quito Ministerial Meeting
  • The Negotiating Groups: mandates
  • Special Committees: Technical Committee on Institutional Issues; Consultative Group on Smaller Economies

Speech: Ambassador Roberto Betancourt Ruales
             Under Secretary for Multilateral Relations of Ecuador
             Former Chair of the FTAA Trade Negotiations Committee

10:30 - 11:00 h. Comments and questions
11:00 - 11:30 h. Challenges and Opportunities in the FTAA Negotiations
Speech: Dr. Angela María Orozco Gómez

             Consultant
             Former Minister of Foreign Trade of Colombia
11:30 - 12:00 h. Comments and questions
12:00 - 12:30 h. Andean and Regional Integration Processes vis-á-vis the FTAA
Speech: Dr. William Torres Armas

             Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Worship of Bolivia
12:30 - 13:00 h. Comments and questions
13:00 - 14:45 h. Lunch (Delegates are free to make their own arrangements)
15:00 - 15:30 h. Mechanisms for the Participation of Civil Society in the FTAA Process
Speech: Dr. Liliana Honorio Malásquez

             Vice-Chair of the FTAA Committee of Government Representatives on the
             Participation of Civil Society
15:30 - 16:00 h. Comments and questions
16:00 - 17:00 h. Methodology for the workshop - registration for the working tables

 

Wednesday, 11 December
Analysis and Debate Workshop: Working Tables
9:00 - 12:00 h. Working Table on Market Access
9:00 - 12:00 h. Working Table on Agriculture
9:00 - 12:00 h. Working Table on Services
9:00 - 12:00 h. Working Table on Intellectual Property Rights
9:00 - 12:00 h. Working Table on the Environment and Labor Rights
12:00:00 -13:00 h. Presentation of the conclusions of the working tables
13:00 - 15:00 h. Lunch (Delegates are free to make their own arrangements)
15:00 - 16:00 h. Conclusions and Recommendations
16:00 h. Closing session

 
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